


Ocean Blue

by TheInsaneFox



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Smut, Firefighter Galo Thymos, Fluff, M/M, MerMay, Mermaid Lio, Small Towns, Team as Family, beach town au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:21:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25253779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheInsaneFox/pseuds/TheInsaneFox
Summary: There was something about the sound of the waves lapping on the shore that always put Galo’s soul at ease. Maybe it was because it reminded him of his childhood, splashing in the waves while his parents kept a close eye on him. Or maybe it was because there was something almost magical about the water that drew him in. Whatever it was, Galo always ended his early morning runs on the beach. It didn’t matter what route he took or how far he ran, his feet carried him to the same little cove at the end of his run every single day.Then one day, Lio appears and turns his entire world upside down.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 7
Kudos: 52





	Ocean Blue

**Author's Note:**

> GAH OKAY. I started this back in May and it was supposed to be done for MerMay and well...here we are in July so I clearly failed there. This was supposed to be a one-shot but the story ran away with me so I'm breaking it up into chapters.
> 
> A huge shout out to my Camp Nano fam for listening to me whine and moan my way through working this fic out. You're the best and I don't know what I would do without y'all. <3 
> 
> No beta, all mistakes are my own.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

There was something about the sound of the waves lapping on the shore that always put Galo’s soul at ease. Maybe it was because it reminded him of his childhood, splashing in the waves while his parents kept a close eye on him. Or maybe it was because there was something almost magical about the water that drew him in. Whatever it was, Galo always ended his early morning runs on the beach. It didn’t matter what route he took or how far he ran, his feet carried him to the same little cove at the end of his run every single day.

He once again found himself on the empty beach, the sun only just high enough that the pink hues of sunrise had faded to the hazy blue of early summer. The beach was small, mostly just known to the locals, but with the tourist season quickly descending upon the town, Galo knew his secret spot wouldn’t be quiet for much longer. 

A beeping from his phone reminded him that it was time to leave and get the day started, but he tried to ignore it for just another minute and to put off his day just a little longer.

He could only avoid his responsibilities for so long, though. And when he looked at his phone, he groaned and forced himself to turn back towards the road.

Just as he was leaving, he thought he heard a splash. But when he looked back all he saw was a flash of light reflecting off the tail fin of a large fish. 

“Strange.” He mumbled. “I didn’t think we had fish that big this close to shore.”

Another beep came from his pocket just then. “Fuck!”

He ran off without a second thought, praying that he wouldn’t be late for his shift.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


“You’re full of shit.” Remi rolled his eyes at Galo as they cleaned the firetruck. 

“I’m telling you, there was this HUGE fish down at Burnish Cove! It had to be a marlin or something—maybe a shark!”

“Galo,” Remi sighed. He was used to Galo’s antics but this was ridiculous even for him. “A marlin wouldn’t be so close to shore. And the water here is too cold for sharks. Stop watching Shark Week specials, they’re just making you paranoid.”

“I’m telling you! It was a marlin!”

Galo didn’t get to continue past that point as he was then smacked in the side of the face with a wet sponge. Remi was cackling and he didn’t have to hear the voice to know who had thrown it at him.

“You’re both morons. Now get back to work before we all get stuck cleaning the bathrooms for a week.”

“ _ Aina. _ ” Galo and Remi both whined.

“Nope, shut up. I’m tired of this conversation and want to get out of here in time to grab some pizza from Inferno.”

Low grumbles followed but neither dared to bring it up again in front of her. Aina was small but Galo had seen her hold her own against men as big as Varys.

“Hey, quit pouting.” Remi elbowed Galo in the side. “If you finish cleaning the truck you’ll get to go too.”

Galo flicked soap bubbles at Remi in response. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Fuck off.”

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Galo had a hard time getting started on his run the next morning. He knew eating an entire pizza and downing it with several pints of beer the night before was a terrible idea, and he had only himself to blame. (Well, Aina had certainly egged him on, but she would kill him if he tried to blame it on her). And so he began his morning full of carbs and regret.

The fact that he made it to the cove at the end of his run without vomiting was a miracle. But he would be lying if he didn’t admit he was feeling rough by the time he reached the end of his route, and so with a loud groan he slowly sank into the sand and half lay on his side. 

Not only was his stomach a traitor that kept threatening to revisit the pizza from last night, but his head was pounding and the sun felt like someone had taken a drill to his prefrontal cortex. He wasn’t even hungover, it was just his body making it clear to him that doing something so unhealthy was a dick move. He couldn’t decide if he needed water or sleep more at that moment. Maybe a vegetable. 

While he lay there and contemplated his life choices, a large splash caught his attention. He couldn’t quite pinpoint where it came from, just that it was nearby. Under normal circumstances he would have gotten up to investigate. He wanted to settle the debate about what kind of fish it was once and for all but the desire to lie still and be miserable was stronger.

He heard a few, more distant, splashes, and when it fell silent in the cove again he figured the fish had swum off and he was alone again. 

Just as he was beginning to feel the tug of sleep pulling him in, the sound of footsteps brought him back to the edge of consciousness.  _ Ugh, the tourists have found this place _ , he mourned internally.  _ I guess I should get up and not act so pathetic. _

He was just standing back up when a voice behind him asked, “Are you okay?”

Galo turned to say that yes, he was fine, just an idiot, when for the first time that he could remember, he was struck speechless.

Before him was a young man close to his age, with long blonde hair and striking eyes that shone such an unusual combination of colors that the only word Galo could think to describe them was prismatic. He knew he should say something, anything, to introduce himself. Instead, he stood there opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish.  _ Damn it, couldn’t even compare myself to a cooler fish _ .

He managed a weak nod. The blonde man must have decided that was satisfactory because he smiled and held out his hand. “Glad to hear. I’m Lio, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Galo,” Galo finally remembered how to speak and clasped the offered hand. “My name is Galo.”

Lio smiled and withdrew his hand. “I’ve seen you at this cove every morning for a while. Do you live here?”

Galo cocked his head in confusion, trying to rack his brain if he remembered anybody being around when he would do his early morning runs, but came up blank. He shrugged it off, thinking maybe Lio lived nearby and was just trying to use it as a conversation starter. “I do. I’ve lived in this town my whole life. I work at the fire station. What about you? Are you a summer resident?”

“Something like that.”

The answer seemed a bit cryptic, but Galo shrugged it off. People came and went all the time and he could never remember them all.

“Well, welcome. This town isn’t much but it’s beautiful in the summer so you’re coming at the right time.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t seem like you are.” Lio changed the subject as if such a sudden pivot wouldn’t give a normal person whiplash.

It threw Galo off, but he was able to reply relatively smoothly. “Yeah, I’m fine. You’re sweet for worrying though.”

Lio’s fair skin turned a shade of pink Galo had never known existed before. It was so beautiful that he had a sudden image of brushing his fingers along that high cheekbone before leaning forward to place a delicate kiss upon it.

_ Easy Thymos, keep it in your pants. _ He mentally scolded himself.

Lio cleared his throat then, bringing Galo’s attention back to him. “Well, if you’re sure you’re alright, I should get going.”

Galo was sure his disappointment was obvious, but Lio acted as if he didn’t notice. He turned with a small wave back at Galo before walking over to the path that led up to the street. Maybe he was imagining it, but he could have sworn he heard someone’s voice call out, “Lio! Where are you?”

Left alone in the cove once again, Galo sat down and wondered just what the hell was wrong with him.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


“You don’t understand, Aina!” Galo was whining several days later at their weekly group dinner and beer at Inferno. “He was gorgeous!”

“I know,” Aina sighed for the umpteenth time. “We’ve been over this a thousand times already. You’re mad you didn’t get his number,  _ we know. _ Quit sulking, you’re a grown-ass adult.”

Galo stuck his tongue out and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed defiantly in front of his chest. “I’m not sulking. I’m—” He paused, trying to think of a better word. When he none came to him, he let out a frustrated growl and continued, “Something that sounds a lot manlier than ‘sulking’.”

Aina fixed him with a sharp glare over the rim of her beer. When she put it down she paused, visibly took a deep breath, and said, “Galo, you sweet, dumb bastard. I love you but if you say one more word about this boy, I will end you.”

Remi, who had been silent for the entire exchange, choked on his beer as he laughed at his colleagues. Varys thumped him on the back in an attempt to help, but it just seemed to make Remi cough harder. By the time he had regained his breath, Remi was staring across the restaurant at something over Galo’s shoulder, a bemused look on his face. “Hey, Galo?”

“Yeah?” Galo replied around a mouthful of chemicals that claimed to be cheese.

“Did you say this Lio guy had long blonde hair? Beautiful eyes that are so many colors you can’t really describe them? Kinda short, very thin and pretty?”

Galo swallowed his food and raised his eyebrows, glancing sideways at Aina, who had a knife gripped tightly in her hand and a threatening aura about her. “Remi, man, don’t do this to me. I want to live.”

“Galo?” a new voice came from behind. He felt his heart screech to a stop and if the shit-eating grin on Remi’s face was anything to go by, the person behind him was exactly who he thought it was.

Slowly, cautiously, he turned. He was afraid that who he hoped for wouldn’t be standing behind him, that it was all a cruel joke set up by his friends.

But sure enough, it was Lio. There he stood, hands on his hips and head cocked curiously. He was flanked on either side by two other guys, one with ridiculously long hair and the other with short, flippy red hair. Galo had no idea who they were but by the glares they fixed him with, he knew they would kill him if he made a single wrong move.

“As if I could mistake that spiky blue hair for anyone else.” Lio was grinning like the cat that got the canary. Galo wasn’t sure if he should be insulted by the comment on his hair or not but he let it go in favor of the fact he was once again face to face with Lio.

“Lio?” He started cautiously, still in disbelief that he was there. 

“Yeah, it’s me.” Lio was either laughing or keeping his exasperation in check, but Galo wasn’t sure which. 

It finally occurred to Galo that he should maybe stand up. Or wait, maybe he was supposed to invite Lio and his friends to sit with them? Shit. 

“You, uh, you guys want to sit with us?” 

One of Lio’s buddies, the one with the long hair, raised a suspicious eyebrow at Galo. He wasn’t sure if he’d made a mistake by asking, but Lio grinned and replied “Sure! That sounds great!” Before pulling up a chair from the next table over. 

His friends looked at each other and through some unspoken communication must have agreed because they each grabbed a chair of their own and followed suit.

“These are my friends, Meis and Gueira,” Lio supplied as he pointed to each one in turn. 

“Uh, hi. Nice to meet you.” Galo offered his hand to each of them, but they just continued to glare at him so he let it drop.

He introduced his own friends then. Remi was still smirking, and Aina looked like she was about to combust. He couldn’t tell if she was mad or excited that Lio was there, but a part of him felt like gloating just a bit. Varys waved and immediately introduced himself before launching into a conversation with Gueira, amazingly enough.

By the time they’d finished eating, he noted that neither Life nor his friends had ordered anything. He offered to hang out with them while they ate if they wanted anything, but Lio just waved him off and said they’d eaten beforehand. 

Galo wanted to ask how they’d ended up at Inferno in that case, but decided against it. Lio was here, and that was all that mattered.

Once everyone got up to part ways for the evening, Aina shot him a look and mouthed, “Get his number, idiot.” Before turning to walk back to her car. 

That left just Galo, Lio, Meis, and Gueira. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, contemplating the best way to ask Lio if they could have a few minutes alone. But Lio must have been thinking the same because he turned to the other two and asked, politely yet in a tone that left no room for argument, “Hey, can you guys wait for me in the parking lot? I want to ask Galo something.”

Gueira nodded and gave a quick, “Sure thing, Boss,” before he and Meis both turned on their heels and left to wait for Lio.

Galo must have been wearing his confusion on his face because Lio laughed lightly at him once they were out of earshot. “They seem intense but I promise they’re really good people. I’ve known them for as long as I can remember and they’ve always been there for me.”

“Why did he call you ‘Boss’?” 

“A stupid nickname from when we were kids. Not worth explaining the story behind it.”

“Ah.”

They fell into an awkward silence then, Galo not sure how to work up the courage to ask Lio for his number, Instagram account, Twitter handle, literally anything that would allow him to contact Lio.

Again, Lio must have sensed his internal wrestling match because he reached his hand out and simply said, “Give me your phone. I’ll put my number in.” 

Galo practically ended up throwing his phone at Lio in his scramble to fish it out of his pocket. Lio just laughed and typed in his contact information before handing it back. He winked and said, “I expect to hear from you in the next day or two,” before leaving without so much as a goodbye to rejoin Meis and Gueira.

He was left stunned as he watched Lio walk away, hips swaying so that they simply had to be teasing him with the way they fit into those tight, black skinny jeans.

Fuck, Galo was so far gone for this guy and he barely even knew him.

  
  


* * *

Galo didn’t even wait a day before texting Lio. 

To his surprise, Lio was quite talkative. They’d start texting almost as soon as one of them woke up and would continue talking well into the evening. None of it was very substantive—Lio never talked about his family or his hometown, for instance. But Galo was just so happy to take whatever Lio was willing to give that he didn’t focus on that and just filled the silent gaps where he could.

It reached a point after less than a week that Galo knew he had to swallow his pride and ask Lio on a date. Aina told him so every day until he did, but he spent the entire time trying to think of just how he wanted to ask Lio and where they should go.

“Just take him to the boardwalk, for fuck’s sake!” Aina said one morning when she found Galo sulking in the locker room before their shift started. She held her venti mocha in her hand like a lifeline, the look on her face warning Galo not to fuck with her.

“But Aina!” He whined, “what if he says no?!”

“Then at least you tried.” 

Galo had to fight a strange, instinctual urge to salute her and yell “Yes, ma’am!”

Under Aina’s scrutiny, he shot off a message asking Lio to meet him at the boardwalk that Friday evening before he could second guess himself. When Lio replied with a very quick, emphatic  _ yes! I’ll see you then!  _ Galo didn’t know how to respond immediately. He stared blankly at his phone and it wasn’t until Aina asked him, “well what did he say?” That he was finally able to put it together.

“He said yes.” Galo didn’t believe it, even as he read the text out loud. “I…have a date. With Lio.”

“That’s a good thing, dummy!” Aina cried, giving Galo a sharp smack on the shoulder.

“But I asked him in a text.” Galo was dangerously close to pouting. “I wanted to make this big, romantic gesture.”

Aina sighed and took a long drag from her coffee. She was still waking up and at nearly 11 AM, she was adamant that it was still too early to deal with Galo and his boy drama. It often felt like she was babysitting rather than working alongside him.

Finally, once she felt some of the caffeine nectar take the tiniest edge off her nerves, Aina said, “It’s a first date. You’re not asking him to marry you. Only thing he’ll remember in ten years is what you did on the date and whether or not he had fun.”

The truth of Aina’s words sent a fresh spike of anxiety through Galo’s core. How was he going to make the date memorable? He was just a boring guy from a small town, there was no way he was going to grab Lio’s attention and keep it for more than a few hours.

“Damn it!” He growled, mussing his hair in frustration as he began to pace back and forth. 

At that point, Aina kicked him out of her work area and told him to go do his own job. It was fine, it was only Wednesday so he had two days to prepare for the date. He could do this.

  
  


* * *

He knew, without a doubt, that Aina wanted to kill him over the next several days as time ticked down closer and closer to his date with Lio. By the time Friday came around, he was so full of nervous energy that Aina compared him to a ping pong ball that had been hit too hard and was bouncing everywhere except the table it was supposed to be on. Even Varys had grumbled a few warnings at Galo, and so the instant his shift was over, his teammates shoved him out the door and told him to report back on Monday.

It was hard trying to figure out what to do with himself. Admittedly, it had been a very long time since Galo had been on a date, and he suddenly couldn’t remember anything. What was he supposed to wear? Should he show up on time or be a few minutes late? Did people still bring flowers to dates, or had he just been watching too many rom coms from the eighties lately?

Five outfit changes later, Galo settled on a pair of dark jeans, a form-fitting black t-shirt, and a pair of Chuck Taylors. He tried in vain to do something about his hair, but ultimately gave up. He was forever doomed to be the guy with the spiky blue hair.

Galo caught himself checking the time every thirty seconds. He knew it was stupid, he was only making the anticipation worse, but when it was finally time to leave he practically ran out the door.

When he pulled up to the boardwalk, he forgot for a second just how insanely crowded it got in the summer. Young couples were milling around, sharing cotton candy and flirting under the midway lights, and little kids were crying over the ice cream they dropped or the stuffed animal they wanted but couldn’t have. He suddenly wondered if it was too cheesy for a first date, but reminded himself that there weren’t many other options in this town.

With a deep breath, he killed the engine of his motorcycle and began to walk to the place he’d told Lio to meet him.

He wasn’t surprised that Lio was already there waiting. Although he didn’t notice Galo at first, too busy staring at his phone and fidgeting with the edge of the protective case on it. Galo felt the air rush out of his lungs as he took a second to admire Lio in such a candid state; he was mesmerized by the rainbow of colors reflected off his blonde hair by the bright carnival lights above him, and his apparent lack of nerves going into this date. He wished he could be even an iota as calm and confident as Lio appeared to be.

His phone buzzed and he didn’t have to watch Lio send the text message to know it was him. With a final, nervous gulp, he stepped forward and called out to Lio.

Lio greeted him with a smile and a wave, and instantly Galo felt more at ease.

“Hey,” he managed to sound calm and cool and not like he was actually freaking the fuck out.

“Hey yourself.”

Silence followed. Galo wracked his brain for something to say, but thankfully Lio threw him a lifeline. 

“Are you hungry? I figured we could eat first then go check out the games and maybe some rides.”

“Yeah!” Galo grinned. “Sounds great!”

Lio stepped forward and led the way, making Galo wonder if maybe he’d already planned the night out a bit himself. Or maybe he’d been to the boardwalk before and already knew where his favorite food places were.

They ended up at a small stand run by an older man with graying hair. The food offered was slathered in fat and much of it deep fried, but Galo couldn’t help how his mouth watered when he realized how long it had been since he’d last had any street food.

His expression must have been ridiculous because he heard Lio chuckle just then as he ordered them each a lobster roll and a beer. 

Once they had their food, they wandered towards the midway in an attempt to find a place to sit and eat. Lio laughed as Galo took a large bite of his lobster roll and melted butter shot out the end of the bun and onto his shirt. He squawked indignantly, half because he happened to like that shirt and half because he was embarrassed that he was barely ten minutes into a date with this hot new guy and he’d already spilled food on himself. 

“Damn it!” He moaned, looking around for a water fountain so he could try to save the shirt from staining.

“It’s okay. It happens to the best of us.” It was obvious that Lio was trying hard not to laugh.

“This is why the cold lobster rolls are superior,” Galo grumbled as he succeeded in his quest to find a source of water nearby and rushed over to splash some on his shirt.

When he returned Lio was smirking, halfway through his own roll. “You’re nuts for thinking that.”

“Thinking what?”

“That anything with mayonnaise could ever be better than something slathered in melted butter.”

Galo must have looked as perplexed as he felt because Lio finally let loose the laughter he had been holding in for the entire exchange. And as much as he wanted to be mortified, something about Lio’s laughter shoved aside whatever part of his subconscious that contained his shame and before he knew what was happening, he was laughing along with Lio.

That single incident must have broken the tension because after that, the rest of the night fell into place. Any nerves Galo had been retaining were long gone and soon he found himself declaring that he would win Lio the giant stuffed dragon he was eyeing. The result was Galo attempting to shoot out a clown’s teeth and secretly hoping he wouldn’t get nightmares of toothless clowns chasing him down with a hammer.

He failed miserably and when he thought Lio wasn’t looking, slipped the guy working the booth fifty bucks and begged to let him buy the damn thing. So when Lio looked back and saw Galo grinning over the stupid stuffed animal when he knew he hadn’t won so much as a gum ball, Lio rolled his eyes but accepted the gift.

“I know you bribed that guy,” Lio laughed as he attempted to eat an ice cream cone with one hand while gripping the dragon in the other. 

Galo feigned offense but shrugged when Lio fixed him with a look. “What? You wanted it and I clearly wasn’t cutting it as a clown murderer. I couldn’t win it the old fashioned way. Besides, I know those fuckers are going to haunt me in my sleep for a long time to come. You’re welcome.”

“You’re absolutely ridiculous.”

“It’s what you like about me.” Galo had no idea where this self confidence was coming from, but he was determined to ride the wave. 

His phone buzzed just then, and he stole a quick glance at the lock screen. It was a text from Aina, so he figured it wasn’t important and put the phone back in his pocket. But less than a minute later the familiar beeping of a 911 call blared from his phone. 

“Damn it!” Galo was a mix of disappointed and angry as he pulled his phone out to look at the notification. He didn’t want the night to end so soon.

“Gotta go?” Maybe he was imagining it, but Galo thought Lio sounded disappointed too. 

“Yeah. Emergency call. Guess there’s a house fire near the high school.” 

“It’s okay. Go. Be a hero.”

Galo couldn’t help but let out a low laugh at that. “A hero, yeah. Most of my days are saving cats from trees and shit like that.”

Lio snorted at that, then stood on his toes to place a kiss to Galo’s cheek. His lips were still cold from the ice cream but Galo swore he saw sparks when they connected with his skin. “I had a great time tonight. Thank you.”

“Me too. Can we try again sometime?”

“Absolutely.” 

Just as Galo was turning to leave, Lio grabbed his hand, and when he turned to ask what he needed, he was met with Lio’s lips pressed gently to his. It was a very soft, brief kiss, but if left Galo breathless. He must have been quiet for too long because Lio said, “That’s a promise. Now, go.”

As if on cue, Galo’s phone gave a sharp warning trill. At that, he ran back to his motorcycle and took off towards the station.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Come yell at me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/FoxyLovesFandom) about Promare, Voltron, YOI, and other nerdy shit. I love making new friends!


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